Bird Coffin of Iihetek

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

This extraordinary coffin contained two small bird mummies. It is shaped like an Egyptian shrine and decorated with images of the goddesses of mourning, Isis and Nephthys. The rear of the coffin displays a djed-pillar, a symbol of Osiris often found on the back of human coffins. The reasons why the man named Iihetek had this unusual coffin type made remain unclear.

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